Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith and Town of Carmel Police Department Chief Michael Cazzari report that their departments will be jointly conducting sobriety checkpoints along area roadways during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. The announcement of the planned checkpoints is aimed at deterring intoxicated or impaired driving and is part of a statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown effort.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith, Chairman Art Hanley of the Putnam County Joint Veterans Council, and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell jointly announce that four Sheriff’s Office patrol boats have been named in commemoration of four Putnam County war heroes.

The patrol boats were christened at a sunset ceremony that took place at the Putnam County Veterans’ Memorial Park on Thursday, May 14, 2015. The event was attended by a number of local, county, and state government officials, and by an audience of dozens of military veterans and police officers and their supporters.

The ceremony included remarks by Sheriff Smith, County Executive Odell, Veterans Council Chairman Hanley and State Senator Terrence Murphy. Common themes in the speakers’ remarks were gratitude for the service of veterans and police officers at home and abroad, and acknowledgment of the strong bond between military and police that is reflected in naming the patrol boats after the distinguished veterans.

Ms. Odell read a Putnam County proclamation on behalf of her office and the Putnam County Legislature recognizing Mr. Charles J. Moore, a veteran and former sheriff’s deputy, for his leadership in chairing the Veterans Honoree Selection Committee. Ms. Odell praised the service of all veterans, noting that their service extended even beyond their time on active duty. “Our veterans continue to serve our community right here at home in so many different and wonderful ways,” she told the crowd.

Veterans Pete Pennelle, Harry Sherblom, Charles J. Moore and Karl Rohde read citations recounting the military service rendered by the four honorees. Reverend Larry Maxwell offered an invocation and benediction and led the assembly in patriotic songs.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports that a false report of a hostage situation in a Garrison home this morning caused a large-scale police response, the lock-down of nearby schools, and a temporary highway closure.

This incident in Putnam County is but the latest of a number of similar hoaxes that have occurred nationally in what have come to be called “swatting” cases: false reports of hostage situations or other violent incidents that are intended to cause a response from police special weapons and tactics (“SWAT”) forces.

In today’s incident, a telephone caller called the Sheriff’s Office shortly after 10:00 A.M. and reported that a woman and her son were being held hostage at gunpoint in a home in the Manitou section of Garrison, along State Route 9D.

The incident prompted officials at the nearby Garrison Union Free School and the Haldane Elementary and High Schools in Cold Spring to order precautionary lock-downs at those campuses. Route 9D was closed to traffic for about two hours in the Manitou area, as sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, and Cold Spring police converged on the home and discovered that the reported hostage situation was fictitious.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith, Chairman Art Hanley of the Putnam County Joint Veterans Council, and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell jointly announce that four Sheriff’s Office patrol boats will be christened with the names of four local war heroes at a ceremony to be held next week.

The naming ceremony will take place at the Putnam County Veterans’ Memorial Park at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, May 14, 2015. The park is located off Gypsy Trail Road in the Town of Kent. The public is invited to attend the event and refreshments will be served starting at 5:30 P.M.

Roger Birch

Age:

30

Eyes:

Blue

Hair:

Brown

Sex:

Male

Race:

White

Height:

5'11"

Weight:

180lbs

Roger Birch (D.O.B – 11/09/84) is wanted by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and a Bench Warrant was issued April 13, 2015 in the Town Of Carmel Court, to answer the charge of Petit Larceny (P.L. 155.25).